We Players presents

A New Deal: Continuing the Legacy of Maritime Art in the Park

curated by Visual Arts Director Patrick Gillespie

Monday – Sunday, 10am – 4pm 900 Beach Street, San Francisco, CA 94109 Free and open to the public

Update! A New Deal has been reviewed by KQED’s Matthew Harrison Tedford.

The Show and the Site

The San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park’s Maritime Museum has been a site of creative endeavor and community engagement for the past 76 years. A group of artists designed and finished the interior and elements of the original bathhouse building facade as part of a joint project between the City of San Francisco and the New Deal Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1939. Participating artists in the design and production of the Streamline Moderne building included Hilaire Hiler, Sargent Johnson, Richard Ayer, and Beniamino Bufano, to name just a few.

The museum’s history has inspired artworks that engage themes of ecology, poetry, political zeitgeist of the time, maritime technology, and a universal sense of longing to return. The WPA has had a lasting influence on the past 76 years of US history and this exhibit offers an update to the issues, interests and challenges faced by the original artisans of the museum.

The show opens with a reception event on Saturday March 7th from 12:30-3:00pm; the opening event features a new performance artwork by participating artist Raphael Noz. Raphael’s performance will begin at 1pm.Reservations are recommended!

Our Partnership with SF Maritime NHP

As part of We Players’ unprecedented five-year cooperative agreement with San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, we are collaborating with a wide range of artists, creating work from diverse vantage points in a variety of media as an exercise in exploring the many layers of story within the site.

The extended venue of San Francisco Maritime NHP, including the Maritime Museum building, Hyde Street Pier, the historic vessels, Victorian Park, and Aquatic Park and lagoon, serves as a laboratory for We Players experiments in site-integrated programming, 2012-2017. Projects include the generation of new theatre works inspired by classical literature and Greek mythology, music concerts, dance, staged readings, visual art exhibits, conversations, parties, and workshops. In addition, San Francisco Maritime NHP will serve as a “floating classroom” for our growing aesthetic education programming, which serves youth from diverse backgrounds in neighborhoods throughout the Bay Area.

Artist Panel Discussion

The Presidio Dialogues program is hosting a discussion with We Players, contributing artists, and other key collaborators to discuss the exhibition and project themes. Join us on May 28 at the Presidio Officer’s Club to further explore the histories and personal inspiration for the current exhibit at the Maritime Museum. This is a FREE event.

Please join We Players to celebrate and explore the legacy of the arts at the Maritime Museum and historic Aquatic Park!